


Freedom through a Connected Thread - A Post-Pit Stiffen the Sinews Story

by HeroicGangster



Category: Batman (Movies - Nolan)
Genre: Adopted Children, Bane Before the Mask, Bane is a Good Guy, Fluff, Innocent, John Blake is Habibi, John only saw Tangled once, M/M, Not much Bane sadly :(, Storytelling, Talia is a good girl, Young Bane, alternative universe
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-21
Updated: 2021-01-21
Packaged: 2021-03-12 12:08:02
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,441
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28885113
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/HeroicGangster/pseuds/HeroicGangster
Summary: Talia one day after she and John escaped The Pit asked John for another story to enjoy as they wander the land outside of hell-prison in order to search for their father and save Bane. John decides to explain the storyline of Tangled (2010) with little to maybe no success. However, Talia takes enjoyment from the storytelling and uses her own imagination to fill in the blanks.
Relationships: Bane (DCU)/John Blake
Comments: 2
Kudos: 10





	Freedom through a Connected Thread - A Post-Pit Stiffen the Sinews Story

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Whisky (whiskyrunner)](https://archiveofourown.org/users/whiskyrunner/gifts).



> This is my first fanfiction, it is rather simple formatted and short but I hope you will enjoy! 
> 
> I am in love with how younger (before the mask) Bane was interpreted in Whiskyrunner's Stiffen the Sinews series and John Blake is such a good family dude! BaneBlake/Bane x John Blake Forever! And Talia is fun to be honest!  
> I wanted to put a more determined twist on how John and Talia handled their lives and motivation together outside of The Pit without Bane because I believe in the power of love.

Days after John and Talia escaped The Pit in order to find her father Ra’s al Ghul, it is a blank sky night time and Talia can’t help but think back to those days with Bane and her mother Nadiya. Regrets fill her mind until...

“John..?”

“Hm? Talia what do you need?” John smiles back as he looks down towards a curious Talia right in front of him.

“I... want you to tell me another story please.” Talia pleads in front of John with a pure passion right onto her eyes.

“Oh! Well.. I did not tell you one story yet that is at the back of my mind. What was it....” John wanders at a blank for a moment. “Oh that’s right uhh Tangled!”

“Tangled? What kind of story could be told with that name?” She giggles to herself at the name.

“Well, why do you want me to explain Tangled right now? And yeah it is a funnily simple name for a movie!” John snickers to himself from how Talia described it.

“Because... I miss Bane... I don’t want to miss storytime either-even if I might be too old or something like that for these stories”

John smiles in agreement the best way he can and begins by patting Talia’s head. John begins to tell the story using his motions due to the lack of resources they have for now surprisingly in comparison at their time in The Pit.

“Well... it starts with a girl named Rapunzel who used to live up across a tower. She had been kidnapped as a baby by an old woman named Mother Gothel who used her golden hair to restore herself into a young age.

“Oooh.” Talia is showing an interested expression.

“And well from how useful Rapunzel was due to her” John moves his hands across and beyond his own head to show the mass of Rapunzel’s hair “magical healing powers hair... she was kept inside the tower for years to come.”

“Was she starving a lot inside the tower? Was she kept inside a small room? Was there a ton of bad guys there?”

“No.. Honestly, Rapunzel’s life is relatively comfortable at the tower. She had pretty good food, paintings to draw, and free space all around to swing around with her giant hair pfft. Anyways, she was at the tower for years until this young man named Eugen- crap spoilers? oh wel- showed up into her tower to hide the princess’s crown that he was stealing with his bad twin male bandit friends. Two of them were evil but only one of them had an eyepatch!” He hides his left eye with his hand and does a rather creepily evil expression near Talia.

“Ew!” Talia slaps away John’s rather exaggerated acting, John reacts just like a bad guy should. Though honestly he was quite shocked by the reaction. Going back to the story...

“Rapunzel was looking up into the starry night sky just like what we see right now in this... world we are at Talia. Unlike us Rapunzel was wishing to see the lanterns the kingdom near her would release into the sky. Even if she did not know that they were lanterns, she had the drive to go out into the world and see what those beautiful lanterns look like up close.”

“Lanterns... stars...” Talia mumbles to herself

“She was lashed out by her very abusive mother for just asking to see these lanterns. Rapunzel was in a very vulnerable mindset and she just agreed to what her mother wanted even if she can see how cruel her mother was being.”

“Just like my mama!” She would say in great confidence

“Ye- Uh no Talia!” John tilts his head from that response knowing what she is talking about. “That night Rapunzel was sad to herself from how she feels restricted... stuck... and imprisoned in this tower for years to come. It is until Eugene accidentally barged into her tower for the crown he secured that Rapunzel found her way out of the tower just to see those lanterns”

“Just to see lanterns? Not freedom?”

“I’m getting to that Talia haha! Eugene was this bitter handsome man that protected Rapunzel through their whole adventure together even if he was doing it for his own reasons. And Rapunzel depended on Eugene to guide him towards the lanterns and without a scratch.”

“Without a scratch... Hmm”

“Yes without a scratch, he has to be protected pretty much! So they have their adventure through the forest and even had a musical scene with a bunch of evil-looking men that were good in their hearts.

“Evil looking men that were good? Which one of them did you like?” Talia asks with gleeful curiosity into her heart.

“Well.. there was one big dude who had his face hidden and had a thing for baking. He was pretty cute~ And he had horns too..” John murmurs to himself

“Baking?” She wonders about that word for one second, but she is focused on that big hidden faced guy “So what was that big... dude like?” Talia says with her eyebrow shifted up towards John

“U-uh he wasn’t a big charact- hmmm so he was.. Fierce, talented, humorous, petty, loyal, and very shy at one point. I remember that..”

“Mmhm~” Talia is practically blushing with her cheeks squeezed “I am imagining that guy to be Rapunzel’s handsome boyfriend!”

“S-sure if you say so!” John tilts his head again like he is weirded out from how his story is going “So this hidden faced big dude.. Eugene protected and carried Rapunzel even with his long hair towards the kingdom where those lanterns are said to be released. They waited together until the night in order to see these lanterns together even if he only wanted the princess’s crown.

“Why? Is Eugene not evil after all~?” She imagines a big masked man (with horns) carrying a long-haired beauty

“Nope! So he who is Rapunzel and Eugene celebrated the lantern event together within the kingdom. They had their kis- wait not yet.. They just nuzzled their heads together closely with the light below their growing bud of love. A few minutes later they released the lantern they held together...” John cups an invisible lantern and spreads out his hands to show the whimsical sense of release.

“Awwww~”

“Afterwards, Rapunzel and Eugene were walking together until Eugene was uhh attacked by his two evil twin friends for leaving them alone. Eugene was beaten up even with his great amounts of strength against those two evil dudes.”

Amir and Barsad... Talia whispers to herself  
“At the same time Rapunzel’s mother shown up to drag Rapunzel back into his prison for the sake of ‘safety’ jeez what a abusive b-“ John cuts himself from saying something he might regret

“So Rapunzel is at the tower and realizes what Eugene gave him. Which is freedom! It all comes back to that hell yeah!” John says a Woo! to himself

“Eugene was such a good man! I want him back!” Talia clamors for the large hidden faced horned man again with determination flaming in her eyes

“And he will be back because he gets up back again and beats up those two evil dudes in order to efficiently save Rapunzel from his prison!” John does a punching motion that a familiar friend did back at The Pit towards the air.

“Yes beat those two baddies up! I love Eugene!”

“Me too heh! So Eugene rushes towards Rapunzel at the tower, but he Rapunzel is tied up to tears and not wanting Eugene to save him at the risk of his safety. It was too late and Rapunzel’s mother stabbed him..”

“NO!” Talia slams the ground with her little fist! “Eugene can’t die! I DON’T WANT HIM TO!”

“He will not! Because Rapunzel strikes a deal with his mother in order to save Eugene. Rapunzel moves Eugene’s hand onto his own hair to be ruffled affectionately while he says loving words in order to heal Eugene’s stab wound. However... Eugene with his own knife sliced off Rapunzel’s hair in order to free Rapunzel’s captivity as a youth spell slave. And with Rapunzel’s hair gone, his mother begins to transform into a pile of ashes from the amount of aging she had throughout the years this time without the magic. And Eugene... with his stab wound still inflicted.”

“.....”

“Rapunzel was in tears... happy that he was freed from his time in the tower forever but... h-he doesn’t want to lose Eugene. The big hidden man protected him through their journey in order to see the lanterns.. Even if he was considered a bad man by the kingdom and everywhere h-he goes.. Rapunzel saw through that in order to see a g-good man........”

John starts gasping for breath to reach back into the story.

“John...” Talia makes a sad expression for John, pitying him.

“...... So Rapunzel cried for his big loss... wanting Eugene to be back again. He cried and cried atop of Eugene until a tear from Rapunzel reached underneath Eugene’s face coverings and onto his cheek. This tear had a yellow glow and was absorbed inside Eugene’s body from how special it was. This tear was special because it came out of love and fondness for his... Habibi and so it brought Eugene back to life. Because the power of love is that powerful it seems..” John bitterly says to himself.

“Awwwww~ I love Rapunzel and Eugene! Ahhhhhhhhh!!! ” Talia says to herself in giddy motions and with a red flush on her face “They know what the true power of love is!”

“....Heh” John gradually restores himself into a much more stable sense of behavior and hugs Talia from how enjoyable she was to hang out with “Jeez Talia, that’s the story you are the most excited from? I did not even have to draw pictures!”

“I do not need pictures, I just need imagination! And hope!”

“Hope?” John tilts his head for the final time except with a smile instead of confusion.

“Hope! That story Tangled you just told me! That is you and Bane!”

“M-Me and Bane?!” John pretends to be shocked but is actually somewhat shocked himself “U-u-uh how did you get that from...” John coughs to himself from choking his own words “Tangled?”

“Because you are Rapunzel with the long hair! And Eugene was the hidden faced bad man that protected him from danger! And those two bad men were Amir and Barsad, and the mother was like my m-“

“Ohhhhhh!!!” John purposely falls onto his knees because of the sudden realization and because he wanted to stop Talia from mentioning those final words “That is why you love the story so much... And why you see Hope from it.”

“Yes! Eugene is Bane, he is sometimes seen as a bad man who does painful stuff to others but he uses his fighting skills to protect and serve loyally onto his lover! And Rapunzel has long hair just like you!”

“I didn’t trim in a while...”

“And was the weaker person between the two!”

“Okay jeez Talia now you are just being mean...” He grumbles in a blatant way folding his arms to show his small sense of bitterness. 

“Hehe~ I love this story because I love you and Bane! I want him back! Bane has given us freedom like Eugene from the story you told! And now it is time for Rapunzel..” Talia points at John. “To return the favor! With me of course!”

John smiles and actually has a tear from the sudden correlation Talia blatantly told to him. He hugs Talia into a deep embrace again as they warmed up to each other for the day.

“Thank you Talia... and yes... someday we will free Bane...” John says with an odd large sense of confidence. “I will come back for you..”

“And with a big kiss too~” Talia has a great sense of cheery spirits

“Y-yes.. And with a big kiss too.. Onto your hidden big mean stupidly handsome gashed face...!”

John gasps as he looks up towards the direction where The Pit should be.

John and Talia released themselves from the heartwarming hug and looked up towards the night sky. It turns out that a few stars started glowing during their time explaining the story of Tangled.

Their lives together as free people from The Pit has just begun but their spirits remain fiery for the destined day that he/John Blake, Talia, and Bane will live happily ever after in a warm embrace again.

.

.

.

.

Somewhere, at a large distance from where John and Talia is. A large figure is seen within The Pit where John and Talia used to be imprisoned at... This large figure is walking up with a frail sense of mobility towards the glowing night sky that was above everyone else within this prison he is still stuck at.

He is in a bloody state with his ragged coverings around his face not even managing to hide the redness throbbing every second that he lives.

This large figure gleams with a hidden delight from seeing these strange shards of light covering the sky. Seeing the awed sense of beauty that they carry over the hell he is living in. This dark, smelly, and sickening hell...

The shards of light with the moon shining over the prison pit began to surround the prison with great shininess as it even manages to hide the large figure’s cuts and scars underneath the whiteness the light brings.

The big figure is weakly groaning from the bright moonlight until the brightness fades into a more comfortable aura. He who is big and yet weak begins to look up towards the sky again with the shards of light glistening over at a distance.

This large figure raises his arm at a slow pace as he cups his fists weakly to grab at the shards of light that tease buds of freedom for him. He grumbles however his eyes hold an innocent smile underneath his verbal expression. He then speaks out words as best as he can in his considerably pitiful state. Holding back the tears of frustration and pain that he keeps within his being. He holds back because he acknowledges these words to himself.... The words that hold hope within. 

“someday Habibi...” The large figure is staggering the words to himself almost breathlessly... the rest of the words have to be swallowed back into his mind as he looks up solemnly towards the grand distance of the sky.

Someday Habibi...John... we will be beneath the same sky... together...


End file.
